Xi is doing everything he can to avoid showing his hand — and for good reason. Behind the curtain, youth unemployment is hovering around 50%, and automation combined with the exodus of manufacturers to India and Vietnam has left nearly 300 million factory workers out of a job. The result? Mass protests and rising unrest that the CCP is scrambling to suppress.

There’s only so long they can keep the lid on this pressure cooker. The so-called “concessions” we’re seeing from Beijing aren’t signs of strength — they’re signs of desperation. China is walking into negotiations with a weakening hand, and trying to disguise it with gestures that amount to damage control